Centipede
Play Centipede free online: blast a descending centipede through mushrooms while dodging spiders and scorpions. A classic arcade shooter with Retro Coins.
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How it works
Play, earn points and Retro Coins: the shared currency across every RetroPlayNow game. Unlock badges and climb the leaderboard! Your progress is saved automatically on this device.
Centipede is the beloved 1981 Atari arcade game that puts you at the bottom of a mushroom field, defending against a segmented centipede that winds its way down toward you.
You control a small shooter that can only move in the bottom few rows. Fire rapid shots at the centipede to break it into smaller segments. When you hit a segment, it turns into a mushroom and the centipede splits into two independent parts, each continuing its descent.
The mushroom field is both obstacle and tool. Mushrooms block your shots but also slow the centipede. When the centipede hits a mushroom or the edge of the screen, it drops down one row and reverses direction. If it reaches the bottom, it starts bouncing in the player area while spawning new heads.
To make matters worse, spiders eat your mushrooms and scorpions poison them, making centipedes dive straight down. Our RetroPlayNow version captures the frantic pace of the original with tight controls, escalating difficulty, and bonus points for spider and scorpion kills. Every centipede defeated earns Retro Coins.
How to play Centipede
- Move and shoot. Move your shooter in the bottom area and fire upward at the centipede.
- Split the centipede. Shooting a centipede segment splits it into two. The more segments you destroy, the more pieces you face.
- Use mushrooms wisely. Mushrooms block shots but slow the centipede. Poisoned mushrooms make centipedes dive straight down.
- Watch for enemies. Spiders eat mushrooms and scorpions poison them. Kill them for bonus points.
- Earn Retro Coins. Destroy centipede segments and survive waves. More points mean more Retro Coins.
